With respect to Jenna, I drew inspiration from some fictional favorites, including Jason Bourne, Nikita, Jack Reacher, Lisbeth Salander, the Gray Man, and Orphan X, among others. I relied again on esteemed author Barry Lancet for assistance with Jenna’s fighting capabilities. And I turned to UK
lawyer, friend, and fashionista Elena Jacobson for advice on Jenna’s attire for the Kalorama party.
Special thanks to additional professionals who helped me along the way. For expert medical advice I once again bothered John Thieszen, M.D. For legal, I always go to the best lawyers in the world, my friends at Arnold & Porter.
And to the other friends and family who have cheered me on through every book: Paul and Trish
Adair, Laney and Juan Altamar, Reeves and Brooke Anderson, Dan Barnhizer, Lisa and David Blatt, Mara Bralove, Deb Carpenter, Amy and Christo Doyle, John Elwood, Jenny and Garrett Evenson, Debbie Feinstein, Charles and Juli Franze, Steph Gangi, Todd and Candy Golden, Brian Hook, Stanton Jones and Carolina Chavez, Jeff Karlin and Sheila Scheuerman, Yong Sang Kim, Robert and Sae Knowles, Kat Lindsey, Jon Lindstrom and Cady McClain, Chris Man and Adam Marquez, John and Patty Massaro, Tony Mauro, John McCarrick, Sean Morris, Evie Norwinski, Brian Panowich, Elissa Preheim, Alexis Rodriquez and Craig Hoetger, Laura and Karl Roske, Mara Senn, Greg Smith, Craig Stewart, Lynn Swanson, Carmen Venecia, Rob Weiner, Andrea and Mark Williams, and Rob Wood.
One of the great things about this job is that you get to know other writers. Thanks to Sarah Pekkanen for our weekly “author walks” where we talk plot and business and kids. To Kimberley Howe for her friendship and support, and for running the International Thriller Writers organization, which helps so many writers. To other friends I met through ITW （Liv Constantine, Ethan Cross, Todd Gerber, and Tosca Lee, to name a few）。 To Jenny Hillier for being such a positive force in the universe. To Lee Child and Lisa Gardner for their endless support of me and so many writers. To Gayle Lynds and John Sheldon for mentoring so many. And to Thomas Cooney and Lain Hart for creating the wonderful Leopardi conference in Recanati, Italy.
None of this would be possible without readers, librarians, booksellers, and the always creative and positive Bookstagram community. Thank you for your passion for stories and keeping reading alive.
I am lucky to have such a supportive family. To my kids, Jake, Emmy, and Aiden, who keep life interesting. Pub day for my books is always bittersweet because I reflect on how much each of you has grown since the book before. But I get prouder every time.
Last, to my wife, Trace. Thirty-five years, and there just aren’t the words.…
About the Author
ALEX FINLAY lives in Washington, D.C. His breakout thriller, Every Last Fear, was an Indie Next pick, a LibraryReads selection, and an Amazon Editors’ Best Thriller, and was highly acclaimed by CNN, Newsweek, BuzzFeed, Goodreads, and Reader’s Digest amongst others. Alex’s work has been translated into more than a dozen languages and optioned for film and television.
Find out more about Alex at alexfinlaybooks.com.